The following U.S. Pat. Nos. are fully incorporated herein by reference: U.S. Pat. No. 5,103,403 to Ch""Hayder et al. (xe2x80x9cRedundant Modular Robotxe2x80x9d); U.S. Pat. No. 5,523,662 to Goldenberg et al. (xe2x80x9cModular, Expandable and Reconfigurable Robotxe2x80x9d); U.S. Pat. No. 6,084,373 to Goldenberg et al. (xe2x80x9cReconfigurable Modular Joint and Robots Produced Therefromxe2x80x9d) and International Pat. No. WO 00/45925 to Munch et al. (xe2x80x9cA Programmable Toy with Communication Meansxe2x80x9d).
This present invention relates generally to reconfigurable modular robotic systems, and more particularly this invention relates to robotic modules which may be reconfigured in multiples in a robotic toy construction system.
Modular robotic systems are those systems that are composed of modules which can be disconnected and reconnected in various arrangements to form a new system enabling new functionalities. This results in multiple possible robot structures for the same number of robotic modules. The user interconnects a certain number of modules to form a desired system based on the task to be accomplished by the system. Such systems tend to be more homogeneous than heterogeneous. That is, the system may have different types of modules, but the ratio of the number of module types to the total number of modules is low. In traditional robotic systems, one or more mechanisms, such as robotic arms, or manipulators, may be connected to a control system, which controls the motion and actions in accordance with a task specification and program. The motions may include point-to-point motion, or trajectory tracking motion. Actions may include end-effector control or interfacing to other systems such as tools and machines.
The controller for traditional systems is a centralized unit which is connected to the robotic system through a multi-conductor cable system. Therefore, a system assembled from such modules is modular only in a limited mechanical sense, and its reconfigurability is limited. Because the control system electronics are centralized, the modules cannot be considered as intelligent single units, since they lack dedicated control processors and associated software.
Robotic systems have also found applications within the toy industry. Toy development has proceeded from simple functions such as the playing of sounds in dolls, performance of simple patterns of movement in robots, to the development of robotic toys with sophisticated patterns of action and a form of behavior.
Toy building elements may perform different physical actions partially through programming the building element and partially by building a structure which consists of interconnected toy building elements of various types. Through a variety in types of building elements, there are numerous possibilities for forming structures and giving the structures various functions. The physical actions of the structures may comprise simple or relatively complex movements controlled by an electric motor or may include the emission of light or sounds. The toy""s physical actions may be conditioned by the interaction of the toy with its surroundings, and the toy may be programmed to respond to physical contact with an object or to light, or possibly sound, and to change its behavior on the basis of the interaction. Such programmable toys are programmed by a central processing unit to make unconditioned as well as conditioned responses.
However, these toys require an external central processing unit programming the elements and directing its movement and also a variety of types of building elements. The object of this invention is to provide a modular robotic toy construction system having active modules, each with its own micro-controller, actuators, input and output devices capable of being easily connected to each other by integrated mechanical and/or electrical connections into configurations which function as a single robotic unit.
The following patents illustrate existing modular robotic elements or toys:
U.S. Pat. No. 5,103,403 to Ch""Hayder et al., titled xe2x80x9cRedundant Modular Robotxe2x80x9d, discloses a robotic structure having a succession of stages, with each stage including a platform and actuators, to permit displacement of a terminal from an initial position to a final position. The succession of stages is controlled by a central processor, which determines a configuration of the robotic structure corresponding to the final position to be attained by the terminal and remotely operating the actuators to arrange the various stages according to the desired configuration.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,523,662 to Goldenberg et al., titled xe2x80x9cModular, Expandable and Reconfigurable Robotxe2x80x9d, teaches a robotic system having manipulators and compact rotary joints with input and output couplings. Each manipulator may be disassembled and reassembled to assume a multitude of configurations. The system is controlled by a computer architecture utilizing processor nodes and a point-to-point communication network. Each node includes a host computer and parallel input/output modules, with each node capable of controlling eight joints.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,084,373 to Goldenberg et al., titled xe2x80x9cReconfigurable Modular Joint and Robots Produced Therefromxe2x80x9d, discloses reconfigurable modular drive joint which can be set up in either a roll, pitch, or yaw configuration. An embedded control system includes a power amplifier for the motor, a sensor interface, microprocessor, and communication circuitry. The only external connections to each module are a communication bus between the modules and the host computer and a power supply bus.
International Patent No. WO 00/45925 to Munch et al., titled xe2x80x9cA Programmable Toy with Communication Meansxe2x80x9d, which teaches a microprocessor controlled toy building element which may be coupled to other building elements. For example, it may be coupled to a separate structure having a motor and wheels to form a motorized toy vehicle. Each microprocessor executes instructions stored in a memory, which contains subprograms which may be activated individually by specifying a list of subprogram calls. The toy has a transmitter for communicating instructions to a second toy.
Briefly stated, and in accordance with one aspect of the present invention, there is provided a robotic module for a toy construction system. The robotic module includes a housing enclosing a gear mechanism and an actuator connected to a pivot mechanism to supply operational power for rotation. An energy storage device supplies power to the actuator, which rotates in response to instructions received from a control unit connected to the actuator. A connection plate forms a connection between at least two of the modules. At least one position sensor is provided to sense the arrangement of the modules connected together.
In accordance with another aspect of the present invention, there is provided an assemblage of robotic modules for a toy construction system. The assemblage of robotic modules consists of a plurality of robotic modules connected together. Each robotic module includes a housing enclosing a gear mechanism and an actuator connected to a pivot mechanism to supply operational power for rotation. An energy storage device supplies power to the actuator, which rotates in response to instructions received from a control unit connected to the actuator. A connection plate forms a connection between at least two of the modules. At least one position sensor is provided to sense the arrangement of the modules connected together.